Renowned referee Mark Clattenburg suggested Martin Atkinson should have looked at the VAR monitor to determine who deserved to be sent off between Son Heung-min and Serge Aurier in Tottenham Hotspur's Premier League clash with Everton which ended 1-1.
The Lilywhites were leading 1-0 until the talking point of the match happened in the 78th minute when Andre Gomes suffered a horrific leg injury after what appeared to be an initial foul from Son, before Aurier barged into the Portuguese midfielder.
The nature of Gomes' injury left both Son and Aurier devastated, but Atkinson decided to give Son a red card having initially issued a yellow.
There are thoughts in some quarters that it is Aurier that deserved to be sent off and not Son, but replays suggest neither should have been sent off.
"It is important to remember, however, that 'intent' has been removed from the Laws as referees could not determine this or otherwise without asking the player. Now, the focus is on the consequence," Clattenburg said in the Daily Mail.
"But I think the injury was caused by a freak combination of Son’s challenge followed by Gomes’ foot planting in the turf and then the impact from Spurs defender Serge Aurier.Â
"That being the case, should Aurier have been sent off too? It was a very difficult situation for Atkinson."
Clattenburg goes on to question Atkinson's decision not to use the pitchside monitor to have a clearer view of the incident.
"What I don’t understand is why, during the lengthy stoppage, Atkinson did not look at his pitchside monitor. His original decision was a yellow card for what was a foul and trip by Son," he continued.
"He has changed his mind having seen the extent of the injury - and he is right to do this if we follow the Laws - but why not take a look at the monitor to get a better idea of how the injury was caused?"
Aurier - who has a reputation for controversies and bad behaviour - was substituted immediately after the incident, with Juan Foyth taking his place.Â
The 26-year-old has received four red cards in his career, two in the Premier League, including Spurs' 3-0 defeat at Brighton on October 5.
The Ivory Coast international has started in each of Tottenham's last seven games in the English top-flight.
